Twelve Bands Chosen to Compete at theOfficial Laughlin River Run Battle of the Bands

Winning Band takes home $10K; Tickets start at $10, plus tax

LAUGHLIN, NEV. – April 18, 2011 – The battle is on! Aquarius Casino Resort has chosen twelve bands to compete in the Official Laughlin River Run Battle of the Bands. The three-day "battle" will go down 7 p.m. to 10 p.m. Thursday, April 28th through Saturday, April 30th, at the Aquarius Outdoor Amphitheater during the largest motorcycle event on the west coast.

Thirty-thousand dollars of prize money is at stake, with the winning band taking home $10,000 and the title of the Official Band of the Laughlin River Run 2011.

"We had a great response to our call for entries and choosing only a dozen bands to compete wasn't easy," said Sean Hammond, General Manager of Aquarius Casino Resort. "You'll hear classic rock, blues rock, original music and cover songs. There will be something for everyone at this battle of the bands and the competition will be fierce. May the best band win."

Qualifying rounds will be on Thursday and Friday. Each band will perform a twenty-minute set. The top six bands, three from each night, will advance to the finals beginning at 7 p.m. Saturday.

Tickets start at $10, plus tax, per night, and can be purchased online at www.AquariusCasinoResort.com, at the ace|PLAY center at the Aquarius, or by calling 1-800-435-8469. The twelve bands that will compete in the Official Laughlin River Run Battle of the Bands 2011 at the Aquarius Outdoor Amphitheater are (in no particular order):

Heaven Below

BIO: Displaying stellar vocals, amazing guitar tones and backed by powerhouse songs, the rock band Heaven Below brings an exciting and fresh sound to the world of music - as evidenced throughout their new, self-titled release. Fronted by Patrick Kennison - formerly of The Union Underground - and supported by members Jesse Billson on guitar, John Younger on bass, and Chad Clark on drums, Heaven Below has forged a tour de force of sonic power and songwriting that is poised to lead the way for new rock music.

Arrival

BIO: With a desire to draw people of all races, ages and cultures together through music, ARRIVAL is performing Journey classics that stand the test of time. ARRIVAL's popularity has been growing steadily since the inception of more Journey music. With a New Breed of talented musicians and stellar performances, ARRIVAL - The Premier Tribute to Journey brings a strong stage presence to every show. Lead singer Jeff Salado excels in effectively emulating the vocal range of none other than Steve Perry. ARRIVAL strives for a high quality, concert level performance at each and every show and Jeff's high octave range always delivers! All the while, this dedicated group continues performing for Corporate Shows, Casinos, and Festivals & Fairs reaching destinations throughout Northern & Southern California including the East Coast.

Big Black Novel

BIO: BIG BLACK NOVEL (BBN) is the melodious brain child of Devon Michelle Reeves and Javy "Beerz" Zesati. Their musical style has been described as "a perfect storm of power, groove, and melody". BBN's music is a no-frills, all-heart approach to hard rock. Devon's wide vocal range, torn jeans, fiery, wild, red hair and strong soulful performance makes BBN a female fronted force to be reckoned with. This combined with the insanely muscular guitar stylings and wicked stage presence of Javy "Beerz" makes for uniquely commanding brand of rock music. Holding down the rhythm section on drums is Joe "Taz" Reeves, a precision machine with an infectious showmanship and energy. Taz's beats are complimented by the "thump n' groove" bass lines of Javy's lifelong musical partner in crime Miguel Rojas. Upon attending a Big Black Novel concert, attendees are in for an unforgettable hard-rocking affair that is sure to leave any fan of real rock music wanting more.

Simmer Down

BIO: Simmer Down was formed in 1999 with the intentions of delivering Hard Classic Rock. Bassist Kevin "COOP" Cooper and All World Guitar Shredder Raul Rodriguez have kept the passion alive till this day and found the 2 current members (Singer - Joe Ferguson and Drummer - Steve Beal) with the same goals in mind. We hail from Laughlin, Nevada and are very proud of representing our town in the Aquarius's Battle of the Bands competition!

Blood Orange Project

BIO: The Blood Orange Project is a 5 piece band that sounds like a 150 piece orchestra. Powerful, Progressive and Big. Mind bending original music mixed with classic deep cuts from Pink Floyd, Deep Purple, The Doors, The Moody Blues, Supertramp, Cheap Trick and more! After 3 years in the studio working on new original material, the band has broken onto the scene with a stunning 8 sold out shows in 2009! Known as "The Band that plays what others can't" a sound that crosses all age groups and demographics.

Bulletville

BIO: Formed in 2011, Bulletville has quickly become the premier Social Distortion cover band in the Southwestern US, with tour dates lined up from Las Vegas to Los Angeles, and beyond. Consisting of Jason Marino (Vocals/Guitar), Nick Turner (Drums), Chris Lay (Lead Guitar/Backing Vocals) and Jeremy Fass (Bass/Backing Vocals); Bulletville is comprised of a diverse foursome of seasoned veteran musicians, with Marino and Turner both hailing from nationally-known rock band The Asphalt, Fass with an extensive career as a musician spanning multiple cities in the US, and Lay having had the fortunate opportunity to grow up in a household with one of the area's most legendary musicians and guitarists as a tutor. Poised to take the nation by storm, look for Bulletville in a city near you.

DoubleXXCross

BIO: A versatile five piece Classic Rock, Blues, Country, and Top 40 band consisting of lead guitar, Bass, Keyboards, Drums and Lead vocals based out of Bullhead City, AZ. Currently entertaining at all the local lounges in our area as well as Lake Havasu and the major Casinos in Laughlin, Nevada. Our goal during every performance is to ensure our patrons are enjoying our music and having fun. We are currently rated #1 Classic Rock band in Bullhead City and we plan to grow in popularity wherever we perform. All members are seasoned professionals in the industry and look forward to performing at the Aquarius Casino Resort.

Substance

BIO: Our group, Substance, has been playing the Tri-State area since 2002. We have opened our doors to a variety of different styles and musicians, however, for this showcase our team is James Lambert (guitar, vocals), David Fredrick a.k.a."Cowboy"(drums), and David Commisso (bass guitar).We will play a variety of hard rock/classic rock and some original tunes. Anna Dulin (a sit in vocalist) who still sings with us occasionally is in the pic, but she won't be with us this time.

BIO: Lara Ash & Inferno are from fabulous Las Vegas, Nevada! They are a dynamically blended band comprised of: Steve Henley on Guitar and Vocals, Mike Hardin on Keyboards, Bass and Vocals, Kevin Brennan on Drums and Lara on Lead Vocals. They play a wide variety of music focusing on songs people love to sing, dance and rock to. Lara Ash & Inferno have been playing music together for the past twelve years and thoroughly enjoy what they do. Lara Ash & Inferno are thrilled to be part of The Aquarius Hotel and Casino Battle of The Bands and look forward to Rockin' you on the river!

Thrasher Cadillac

BIO: Los Angeles - a place where all experiences good and bad can be had for pennies to pounds. Where style, dreams and glamour occur and even danger can rear its ugliness. Bringing you beauty, the mountain slopes, the Pacific and the promise of the world's many varied peoples. There are foods of every culture and delight. And one sure delight Los Angeles brings is Thrasher Cadillac, music from the culture of Rock and roll.Thrasher Cadillac will slam out original tunes that ring like a warning to the danger of delinquency and prison, and then chime to a call of escape. Songs like "I want to be a Detective", a Chandleresque dreamscape that captures all the visual intrigue of a great dime store novel, or "Daddy's little girl", speaking to the divide between teenage restlessness and parental control. Thrasher Cadillac with Drummer/song writer "Fast Eddie Borowski" jam out a rockabilly to rock sound like none you've heard before. "John Hatton" who masters the standup bass will slap the livin' you know what out of these tunes all the while you will go crazy when he spins and carries his instrument across the stage and into the crowd. Legendary hall of fame punkrock artist "Dim Wanker" fronts this rig with soulful vigor and pure vocal quality and he's not too bad on the guitar. So come see this trio and enjoy their many great new songs. Let's Rock it out people.

Blue Daddy

BIO: Blue Daddy is an Orange County-based R&B/Blues band, made up of five members...John Moore, lead vocals; Gene Toth, harmonica, rhythm guitar; Dave Russell, lead guitar; Mike Quinlan, bass guitar; and Clyde Ortiz, drums...this is the heart and soul of Blue Daddy.They've opened for BB King, Eddie Money, James Harmon, John Mayall — and recently for Los Lobos to a sold-out crowd over at the Coach House in San Juan, Capistrano -- and have appeared on KOCE-TV's "Sound Effects," and an appearance at the "2002 Doheny Blues Festival." Each of the five Blue Daddy members brings with him experiences, styles and influences ranging from Delta Blues, Chicago Blues, R&B...to Gospel, Rock, Jazz, and Motown. Their sets include wonderfully-crafted original tunes, time-honored standards and rock blues classics...flavored with Blue Daddy's own unique style and groove.